Hamby , who was dealt to the Los Angeles Sparks in January 2023 after playing for the Aces since 2015, when they were still in San Antonio, is a two-time Sixth Player of the Year and a Paris Olympics 3X3 basketball bronze medalist.
Last year, Hamby made her accusations public and last Monday, she filed a lawsuit against the WNBA and her ex-team, claiming discrimination and retaliation.
"I've been in either the WNBA or the NBA for now 25 years," Hammon remarked following the Aces' 87-71 victory over Hamby's Sparks on Sunday. “I’ve never had an HR complaint. Never, not once. I still didn’t, actually, because Dearica didn’t file any. She didn’t file with the players’ union, she didn’t file with the WNBA. Those are facts.
“It’s also factual that nobody made a call about trading her until Atlanta called us in January (2023). That’s a fact. So ... it just didn’t happen.”
Earlier in May 2023, Hammon had dismissed the claims, insisting that Hamby's trade was a tactical move aimed at creating space to sign potential Hall of Famer Candace Parker.
“We made the decision to move Hamby because we could get three bodies in her one contract, and we wanted to get three more people in,” Hammon said at the time. “I think it’s very evident [with] who we signed on why we made the move.”
The WNBA took the matter seriously, issuing a suspension to Hammon and a draft pick penalty for the Aces. But Hamby asserted that the league's punishment was lacking, later taking legal action against what she saw as discrimination. She pursued justice through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which eventually granted her the "right to sue."
Dana Sniegocki, Erin Norgaard, and Artur Davis of HKM Employment Attorneys wrote the following in a statement after the lawsuit was filed: "The WNBA is, at its core, a workplace, and federal laws have long shielded pregnant women from discrimination on the job. The world champion Aces exiled Dearica Hamby for becoming pregnant and the WNBA responded with a light tap on the wrist.
"Every potential mother in the league is now on notice that childbirth could change their career prospects overnight. That can't be right in one of the most prosperous and dynamic women's professional sports leagues in America."
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